Dodge B250 Reviews

1981 Dodge B250 318 from North America

Summary:

Comfy, tough, and reliable ride!!!

Faults:

The only thing that ever "went wrong" was that the fuel filter got clogged and made the fuel pump leak (changed those in a parking lot... piece of cake, but I suspect both were original and can't blame the van.

When I purchased it, I replaced the ball joints, which were pretty worn; got new tires; changed the alternator as preventative maintenance (I'm a firm believer in preventative maintenance; changed the oil, air filter, and spark plugs (duh)... no real problems.

General Comments:

We bought this van on a whim to drive to Nova Scotia (we live in Georgia) thinking it would be comfortable to sleep in... boy were we right!!! We did the aforementioned preventative maintenance and away we went! This van made it all the way to Carlisle, PA before we had to stop because of the fuel pump. We spent the night in an Advance parking lot and purchased the fuel pump and filter for $23 the following morning. It only took a crescent wrench to fix! In a half hour we were on our way again, and never had another problem. It got us to Nova Scotia and back. This thing is reliable.

It has since driven all over the mountains of North Georgia and to Miami and back, and never let us down.

I was really sad when we had to sell it, and would highly recommend one to any fellow traveler. I must say, however, that ours had a four speed transmission swapped into it by the previous owner so it went 80mph without a problem, but these came factory with a 3-speed and I wouldn't recommend that... they rev at 50mph.

1977 Dodge B250 Tradesmen 400 C.I. from North America

Summary:

Faults:

Gas tank overflows onto ground. Ontario service adviser explained that this is "normal".

Rear window glass on floor, back of Van when picked up as new. Paint over-spray. Delivery was very late. Dealer insisted it was not in an accident (?).

Signals didn't work upon delivery.

Tires were toed-out severely, wearing the tires out very quickly.

The Valve seals fail quickly due to the extreme heat of the big block engine.

The ignition resistor has failed more than once.

The choke heater for the bi-metal strip is too hot and opens too soon. It opens the choke when the engine is cold creating a lean choke situation. Better to disconnect the heater and allow the engine heat open the choke.

General Comments:

I like the van a lot, and do a lot of maintenance work myself. It is a good all round vehicle and serves many purposes. With the Sure Grip Differential it will do nearly the same as a 4x4 on good traction. The A727 trans with the drive-train is very reliable.

In 32 years it has had 2 body jobs, 56 oil changes and required maintenance when necessary.

For 12 years it was not driven in the winter time, and now the kilometers may be 6000 per year.

I still enjoy getting on an open stretch and putting the hammer down. 90 miles per hour safely and in comfort is not a problem!

1994 Dodge B250 Ram Wagon 5.2L from North America

Summary:

Most reliable 13 year old vehicle ever

Faults:

When purchased, the horn didn't work, the right taillight was out, and the radio (factory AM/FM) didn't work.

I replaced the taillight bulb, the radio with another factory AM/FM/Cassette I had around the garage, and got a junkyard steering wheel center cover (same color even!) as the trouble was they had pulled the fuse due to the covers spring had broke, making the horn sound continuously. Total cost of the repairs were $7.50. All "repairs" since purchase.

General Comments:

The van handles well, lots of room inside, but being a base model B250 Ram Wagon, you get a bit of road noise at highway speeds. It's nice though, in that I still get 19.5 MPG on the highway at 70MPH and the A/C on.

The van has, since purchased, been entirely reliable. Routine oil changes and I've rebalanced/rotated the tires as routine maintenance.